The political wing of Gulu district local government on Monday expressed their dissatisfaction with Gulu district planner Mr Omal David Livingston over failure to formally invite development partners in Gulu District for 2023/3923 annual budget conference. The politicians described the vice as being disorganized.
Councilors raise a lot of concerns and queries demanding explanations from the district planner to clarify why none of the development partners working in Gulu district were not formally invited for the district budget conference.
Aciro Teddy Luwar, the female councilor representing PWDs says a number of development partners who are implementing several activities targeting special interest groups were supposed to attend the conference so that leaders are made aware about their presence and operation area in the District.
Balington Olweny Pa Ongwech, the male councilor V representing the people of Bungatira sub-county wondered why people such as RDC were not even attending the budget conference yet their Cardinal mandates are to Monitor government programs in the district.
Balington also criticized the manner in which the Gulu district LCV Mr. Opiyo Christopher Ateker together with the district Chief Administrative Officer all excused themselves and abandoned the budget conference to attend the commissioning of the classrooms building and latrine constructed under NUDIL program at Awach Central high school in Gulu district headquarters.
He says the budget conference is a very important activity which requires both CAO and LCV to attend in person and should have not collided with any activity.
Hon. Mwaka Samuel Obuga, the male councilor V representing people of Patiko sub-county says he had expected to hear performance reports from all the 13 departments but only three departments were invited to give in their presentations.
However, during the budget conference only three Non Governmental Organizations out of over 150 NGOs working in Gulu District attended the budget conference.
However, only two were able to make presentations. They include AID Africa, Child Fund and TASO.
Okello Isaac Lamunu the program coordinator AID AFRICA only made a brief presentation on the water project they are implementing in Gulu district.
Okello made a disclaimer saying he cannot make a comprehensive report because he got a short notice from the radio announcement about the budget conference and he wasn't able to get everything at fingertip.
Other presenters were child Fund who are implementing projects on poverty alleviation and children education in Gulu District under their program dubbed Acholi child and family program.
Gift Atuku, the center coordinator TASO Gulu says she was surprised after learning that Gulu district is undergoing a Budget conference at the time she only came to the district office to deliver an invitation letter about the TASO marathon scheduled for the end of this month.
Atuku who represented TASO was tasked to make a presentation as dictated by order paper however she agreed to only provide the office of District planner with a soft copy of their presentations pertaining activities being implemented by TASO in Gulu district by next week.
The departments which also made presentations from the Gulu district local government were the department of work and technical service, Education, and finance.
However, Omal David Livingston the Gulu district planner says his Office has been struggling to get funds to facilitate the budget conference adding that their request for money is still pending.
He also noted that some of the departments have been doing their conference regularly so there was no need for invites to avoid waste of time.
The planner reveals that he is hurrying so that he catches up with the date line for submission of district Budget which is on the 16 November 2023.
